Borders gift card holders are out of luck

Opening a locked door. Scraping a sticker off your window. Cutting a sandwich on a camping trip. These are just some other uses for the Borders gift cards you may be holding in your wallet because, according to a judge, getting money back from them is out of the question.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter said yesterday that it would be unfair to the bankrupt company’s creditors to allow the holders of gift cards—worth about $210.5 million—to pursue recoveries. He said that in addition to upsetting the liquidation process that is almost completed, the card holders did not prove that they met the requirements that would allow them to pursue the claim.